Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Trott is planning to hold a live town hall meeting in March to talk about health insurance and other related issues.

“We’re still looking for a venue,” Trott said in a phone interview Wednesday. “Part of what’s not being reported is that we’re in session so much. I’m looking at the legislative calendar for March … out of 23 working days, we’re in session for a total of 20 days. So I’m probably going to have to hold the meeting on a Saturday.”

A statewide political group called the Michigan People’s Campaign has organized several rallies in recent weeks, targeting Trott and other local Republicans who support the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The most recent one was held Tuesday at Shain Park in Birmingham.

“I’ve heard loud and clear from constituents that pre-existing conditions is a critical part of health care,” Trott said. “Our hope is that any replacement we put in place will address some of the cost issues in terms of escalating premiums and deductibles. It’s one thing to have access to health care, but what good does it do if it’s not affordable?”

Trott is one of several legislators co-sponsoring the Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act of 2017 (H.R. 1121). The proposed bill aims to “guarantee access to coverage, prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions and ban premium rating based off of health status.”

Trott said the intent of the bill is to preserve parts of the Affordable Care Act that guarantee coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. He also noted that any health care solution will require bipartisan support in Congress.

“The message I hear is often the same,” he said. “Michigan families are experiencing skyrocketing costs and dwindling coverage. We need to make health care work for everyone.”

As for the rallies, Trott believes some of the activity is being staged. He said he personally met with eight different groups from his district in recent weeks, each one lobbying for a different cause.

“I just met with some residents from Novi who are advocating to make sure the NIH (National Institute of Health) has money to address rare diseases," he said. "I truly think this is a better use of my time."

Trump talk

Asked about President Donald Trump's first few weeks in office, Trott said, "I think it’s a been a busy month ... it's been a little chaotic, but he’s also accomplished a lot."

Trott thinks the business community and stock market are responding favorably to regulatory rollbacks initiated by Trump. He also praised the president's speech Tuesday before the joint session of Congress.

“Hopefully, his kinder tone will help ease some of the acrimony,” Trott said.

On Trump’s proposal to build up the military, Trott said there’s probably not a single country in the world that can claim to be better off today than eight years ago, resulting in a lot of global tension.

"People need to understand we’re a strong country that will support our friends and defend our interests,” Trott said. “But whether Congress goes along is a different story. We have plenty of debt in our country. If we see 3- to 4-percent growth in the next year, we’ll have plenty of money for the military, health care, the infrastructure and other issues. But if we have 1.8-percent growth, like we did last year, it’s going to be a question of where do we find the money."

U.S. Rep. Dave Trott is planning to hold a town hall meeting in March.(Photo: submitted)